Saturday, August 8, 2015

DVD release details have been announced for upcoming horror film "Eaters". The film is directed by Johnny Tabor and stars Marcelle Bowman, Robert Dean, Tristan Parrish Moore, Jonathan Haltiwanger and Hannah Risinger. "Eaters" lands on DVD and Digital October 6th, 2015. The release comes courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment. In 1974, five friends embark across the United States for a friend Jude (Robert Dean), who has just returned from Vietnam. When they cross paths with The Demons, a local biker gang at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico, one of the five friends goes missing. After a heated confrontation with The Demons, they discover they may have jumped to conclusions far too soon. Now pursued by a self-made antagonist, and with tempers flaring high and fuel running low, the friends find out the worst of this nightmare has yet to come. Some call it a myth, others a legend, but the locals call it Folklore.

Currently in post-production, camping horror "Altar" makes some plans for a sacrifice. The film is directed by Matthew Sconce and stars Stefanie Estes, Brittany Falardeau, Deep Rai and Michael Wainwright. "Altar" is a found footage nightmare due out in 2016."Altar" is the terrifying story of a group of former college classmates who get lost driving to a college reunion camp out in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After stopping for the night, they stumble onto something much darker. They must battle to escape the evil they unleashed to not only save their own lives but their souls as well.A trailer is due out soon, you can check out the latest promo artwork below. Check out the Facebook page for the project to keep up to date on the film.

After announcing the revitalized release of 8 Films To Die For, with the first title "Re-kill", After Dark Films has released the official poster and trailer for the second in the series, "The Wicked Within". This one is directed by Jay Alaimo and starsSienna Guillory, Enzo Cilenti, Eric Roberts, Gianni Capaldi, Sonja Kinski. Read the press release and check out the trailer below:

Press Release:The most haunting film from Courtney Solomon’s After Dark Films “8 Films to Die For” lineup has been unveiled: The Wicked Within is set to snag the third spot in the horror festival.

Directed by Jay Alaimo and produced by Gianni Capaldi and Enzo Cilenti, The Wicked Within joins a stable of 8 frightening films to be featured by the esteemed horror company.

“Each of our 8 films has a certain trait that makes it stand apart from the others,” says Stephanie Caleb, EVP, Creative Affairs & Acquisitions. “The Wicked Within is a classic horror possession story with relatable characters and nightmares that linger.”

Says actor/producer Capaldi: “The Wicked Within will take the audience on a journey of extracting fact from fiction, striking fear into their deepest imagination. It is the type of film you don’t want to find yourself alone after having watched it. We are thrilled that After Dark got excited about it, and there can be no better company to partner with to expose this tale of hell-bent possession to North America.”

“8 Films to Die For” will be released in theaters on October 16, 2015, with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment handling all ancillary forms of media, including Digital HD, DVD, and VOD.

Synopsis:When a little girl dies, her family gathers to mourn the loss. Yet, the pain is not forgotten and a vengeful demon spirit takes possession of a vulnerable family member, tearing at the ties that bind them all together. One by one, it forces each family member to confess to his or her buried lies and face the morbid consequences of their sins.

Friday, August 7, 2015

The details for the DVD release of Wild Eye Releasing's "A Plague So Pleasant" has come out. The film, directed by Benjamin Roberds and Jordan Reyes will hit shelves on August 25th, 25. "A Plague So Pleasant" starsEva Boehnke, David Chandler, and Maxwell Moody.

Press Release:

Wild Eye Releasing has unleashed a new epidemic on the American public. A Plague So Pleasant will infect home entertainment systems beginning August 25th. A more dangerous strain than recent efforts, the film has been hailed by undead aficionados as “a miraculous accomplishment” (Zombie Guide Magazine), “an Excellent, Original Zombie Movie” (ZMDB.com), and “so much better than the average straight to video zombie travesty” (The Rotting Zombie).

In the near future, zombies have become a protected, endangered species, held in captivity and legally wandering the streets free from harm by the living. But for the loved ones of those who die, sometimes coping is just too much to handle, especially when not everyone feels the dead have a right to exist, and are willing to break the law to rid the world of this new population of the dead.

Check out the new poster and trailer no. 3 for sci-fi/horror "Harbinger Down". The film is directed by Alec Gillis and due out on DVD Sept. 1st, 2015. "Harbinger Down" stars Lance Henriksen, Camille Balsamo, Matt Winston, Reid Collums, Milla Bjorn, Winston James Francis, Mike Estime, and Edwin Bravo. The film is currently available on VOD and is out in limited theatrical release. A group of grad students have booked passage on the fishing trawler Harbinger to study the effects of global warming on a pod of Orcas in the Bering Sea. When the ship’s crew dredges up a recently thawed piece of old Soviet space wreckage, things get downright deadly. It seems that the Russians experimented with tardigrades, tiny resilient animals able to withstand the extremes of space radiation. The creatures survived, but not without mutation. Now the crew is exposed to aggressively mutating organisms. And after being locked in ice for three decades, the creatures aren’t about to give up the warmth of human companionship.

I can only imagine the level of cheeky satire that saturates this film, I am also very curious to check it out! If for no other reason than to learn about Mistress Tawny herself and the zombification of S&M! That's so metal!

Bianca, who is producing and co-writing with Michael, is set to star as the sexy Zombinatrix. Also attached to star in the project are Lenora Claire (Golden Gals Gone Wild), Mark Quinette (Return to Nuke ’em High 1&2, Gotham), Doug Sakmann (Paranormal Challenge, Return to Nuke ’em High 1&2) Nadia White (Toxic Tutu), Mike Hearse (Coffin Cuties), Johnny Daggers (Blood on the Reel).

Keeping with the ’80s theme, artwork for Zombinatrix is currently being created by Sadist Art Designs (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sadist-Art-Designs/304932762906811). Hollywood visual FX artist and animator, Webster Colcord (Maleficent, X-Men:Days of Future Past), is busy creating stop-motion animation for the film.

Filming is set to begin in late 2015 in Washington D.C., Baltimore, and New York.

Molly Hartley (Sarah Lind; Wolfcop) is all grown up, but the unholy demon inside her lives on in this all-new, UNRATED sequel that takes terror to the next level! Six years after graduating high school — and discovering that a secret pact assigned her soul to the devil — Molly is suspected of murder and confined to a mental hospital, where she wreaks supernatural havoc on the staff and patients. Her only hope is an exorcism by a defrocked priest (Devon Sawa; Final Destination) looking to redeem himself and save Molly’s life before her hideous “transformation” is complete… but Satan has other plans!

Directed by Steven R. Monroe (I Spit on Your Grave), the UNRATED Blu-ray and DVD features awesome bonus features including a sit-down with experts to discuss the origins of demonic possession, bonus security camera footage giving fans a closer look into Molly’s exorcism, and Director Diaries showcasing some of the best scenes from the film.

The film arrives on Digital HD this October 9th and then on Blu-ray and DVD this October 20th.

Special Features:

Exorcism: Beyond One Truth – Sit down with professionals and religious experts to gather facts about demonic possession and debate whether it is a form of psychosis or if there is something more sinister involved

The official trailer has been released for Vin Diesel's action fantasy "The Last Witch Hunter", which blends elements of Gothic horror into the visual spectacular. The film is directed by Breck Eisner and co-stars Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Rena Owen, Julie Engelbrecht, and Joseph Gilgun. "The Last Witch Hunter" hits theatres on October 23rd, 2015.The modern world holds many secrets, but the most astounding secret of all is that witches still live amongst us; vicious supernatural creatures intent on unleashing the Black Death upon the world. Armies of witch hunters battled the unnatural enemy across the globe for centuries, including Kaulder, a valiant warrior who managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. In the moments right before her death, the Queen curses Kaulder with her own immortality, forever separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Today Kaulder is the only one of his kind remaining, and has spent centuries hunting down rogue witches, all the while yearning for his long-lost loved ones. However, unbeknownst to Kaulder, the Queen Witch is resurrected and seeks revenge on her killer causing an epic battle that will determine the survival of the human race.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Jinga Films is
proud to announce that Bruce McDonald's surreal fantasy
horror HELLIONS has been selected to screen in the Vanguard section
of Toronto International Film Festival.

HELLIONS stars Chloe Rose (Degrassi)
as a pregnant teenager whose home is attacked by demonic trick or treaters on
Halloween night. They have come for her unborn child and she must fight for her
life to protect it. Robert Patrick (Terminator II) plays the sheriff who comes
to her rescue.

HELLIONS received its World premiere at
Sundance, its UK premiere at Edinburgh and its Korean premiere at
BIFAN. Upcoming festival screenings include Fantasy Film Fest in Germany,
FrightFest in UK, Sitges in Spain and Torino in Italy.

IFC will release HELLIONS in the US
on September 18th. Meanwhile, Studiocanal in UK, Pretty
Pictures in France and Remain In Light in Benelux are all gearing up
for a Halloween release.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Official poster for "Contracted: Phase 2" will have you getting intimate with the infected. The outbreak spreads theatrically, and on VOD September 25th, 2015. "Contracted: Phase 2"is directed by Josh Forbes and stars Matt Mercer, Peter Cilella, Marianna Palka, Morgan Peter Brown, Laurel Vail, Alice Macdonald, Anna Lore, and Suzanne Voss.Phase II follows the story of Samantha as she suffers from a mysterious and degenerative disease. Picking up directly where the previous film left off, Phase II follows Riley, one of the last people to come in contact with Samantha, as he scrambles to track down those responsible for the outbreak before the highly contagious disease not only consumes his body, but the world as we know it.

Crowd funding has kicked off for indie b-movie "The Curse Of The Spongeman", inspired by the Spongeman statue in Key West and adapted from the short film of the same name. "TCOTS" is directed by Quincy Perkins, a native of Key West, and tells the story of the elusive Spongeman, a creature formed from the debris of washed up spongebeds during the hurricane of the 1920's.

The campaign is taking place over on Kickstarter.com. You can also check out the 8 minute short film "The Curse Of The Spongeman". This one is totally retro and calls back to those classic Hollywood sci-fi, creature features that we all love and watched on late night television shows like Svengoolie.

Check out the official poster released for Veronika Franz directed, twin terror film "Goodnight Mommy". The film is due out on September 11th, 2015 and starsSusanne Wuest, Lukas Schwarz, and Elias Schwarz. "Goodnight Mommy" hits courtesy of Radius/TWC theatrically. In the heat of the summer lays a lonesome house in the countryside where nine year old twin brothers await their mother’s return. When she comes home, bandaged after cosmetic surgery, nothing is like before and the children start to doubt whether this woman is actually who she says she is. What ensues is a terrifying observational struggle with fatal consequences.

Check out the really cool poster artwork for Eli Roth's upcoming shock horror, cannibal flick "The Green Inferno". It is probably the most buzzed and anticipated film of both 2014, and 2015! I know that I for one cannot wait to cringe, flinch, and twitch in delight and disgust when this bad baby comes out! I hope that it is a film that has people outraged, protesting, and gagging over how visceral, carnal, gory and brutal it is!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cause as a horror film, to see a film that sends shock waves through the heart of American "sensibilities" is just fucking awesome!

"The Green Inferno" stars Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Daryl Sabara, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Magda Apanowicz, and Ignacia Allamand. The story revolves around a group of student activists who travel from New York City to the Amazon to save the rainforest. However, once they arrive in this vast green landscape, they soon discover that they are not alone… and that no good deed goes unpunished. "The Green Inferno" hits theatres on September 25th, 2015.

A crowd funding campaign has started for cult horror sequel "Toolbox Murders III". The guys are seeking funding over on Indiegogo for the project which hopes to get enough money collect to attract Sheri Moon who did in the opening of the reboot back in 2003, and possibly David Arquette. The announcement comes on the heels of the release of "Toolbox Murders II" release date announcement of August 4th, 2015.

The city at night. Home to murderers, rapists, pushers, and thugs. A broken system that releases them as fast as the police can lock them up. Out of the darkness, a new threat emerges, born of violence, charged with vengeance, armed with tools, they hand out justice with extreme prejudice.

Judge. Jury. Executioner.

A recent wave of violent, vigilante murders has rocked the Philadelphia underworld. Rumors abound of a gang of faceless, hooded killers who use tools to dole out justice become the thing of legend in the streets, and polarize the public on either side of the issue. Torn between his duty and his frustration with a broken system that releases criminals as soon the police can lock them up, it’s up to Detective Jake Marcum and his partner Redd Simmons to solve the case before the city erupts into violence. What they find threatens to bring down the very system that they’re sworn to serve.

The first teaser trailer has been released for David Keating's "Cherry Tree". The film stars Naomi Battrick, Patrick Gibson, Sam Hazeldine, Leah McNamara. No release date as of yet for the film's official release, "Cherry Tree" had its world premiere back in July at Fantasia, and Dark Sky Films in charge of this one.Faith’s world is turned upside down after she finds out that her beloved father is dying. When the mysteriously alluring Sissy Young becomes her field hockey coach, Faith finds a compassionate spirit and much-needed mother figure. Little does she know that Sissy is the head of a centuries-old witches’ coven that uses the fruit of an ancient cherry tree in a secret ritual that restores life to the dead and dying. Offering to cure her father in exchange for a child, Sissy strikes a bargain with Faith, who suddenly finds herself pregnant with a baby that’s growing at an alarming rate. But with the clock to the child’s birth ticking down and the true intention of Sissy’s plans for humanity becoming more apparent, Faith and her father must stand together in order to save both their lives.

SRS Cinema is taking a bite out of the shark horror genre with upcoming b-movie "House Shark". It was announced on the company's Facebook page along with some pretty cool promo artwork. "House Shark" is set to begin production August 8th, 2015.

"House Shark" is set to star Trey Harrison, Michael Merchant & Wes Reid. Written and directed by Ron Bonk. Music by Emmett Van Slyke. Monster FX by Marcus Koch. Shooting for a week in August, then some interiors in March, then wrapping up next June.

Kaleidoscope
Home Entertainment and Jinga Films have announced the UK and Ireland DVD and
VOD release of Ivan Kavanagh's acclaimed supernatural horror THE CANAL,
with a street date of September
15th 2015.

Arguably the
scariest film of 2014, THE CANAL stars Rupert Evans (Hellboy) as
a film
archivist driven insane after newsreel footage reveals that the home he shares
with his wife and son was the scene of a brutal murder.

Following its world premiere at Tribeca THE CANAL has screened at over thirty international festivals including Busan, Torino, Sitges and Fantasporto where Rupert Evans won Best Actor.

Western horror "Blood Moon" is directed by is directed by Jeremy Wooding and stars Shaun Dooley, George Blagden, Amber Jean Rowan, Corey Johnson, Anna Skellern, Raffaello Degruttola, Jack Fox, Eleanor Matsuura, George Webster, Kerry Shale, Ian Whyte. The film takes the classic look and feel of the western film and mixes in some horror that is fused with both contemporary and traditional horror, with witty dialog, even paced story development, and well produced visual effects. "Blood Moon" maintains a serious, but entertaining approach to the "cowboys vs werewolf" theme.Synopsis: 1887. In a deserted mining town in Colorado, a stagecoach full of passengers and an enigmatic gunslinger find themselves prisoners of two outlaws. As the travelers attempt to escape, it becomes apparent that a bigger menace lurks outside; a beast that only appears on the night of a blood moon.First off I was impressed with the direction that Wooding took in creating this unique First Nations People mythos of Skinwalkers as opposed to the more classical Eastern European concepts. Native lore from the Americas is a complex and vividly fascinating spiritual and mythological web of shapeshifters, magic, and superstitions that doesn't often get such a fresh, mature light shown on the beliefs. A lot of films tend to lean more toward spoof, comical, or exaggeration when telling skinwalker stories. "Blood Moon" keeps it straight forward, intense, and yes -at times-scary. One of the few films that made me jump in some of the more chilling scenes. The creature effects and overall use of practical effects is worth applauding! Wooding could have opted for heavy CGI effects when bringing this beast to light, but instead chose to keep the CGI at bare minimum. It really puts the werewolf fan back in the mindset of classic horror like "American Werewolf In London" and "The Wolfman". Although in this case the creature design is more of a hybrid of the two concepts, and looks more like a massive beast morphed into a humanoid monster. Plus the music, atmosphere, and over all cinematography has a creepy, Hammer-esque vibe to it that really screams creature feature. Overall "Blood Moon" is a true, modern classic and one of the coolest werewolf films that I have seen in the last several years. At first based on the first 10 minutes I thought I was going to be bored. The characters seemed cliche, redundant and two-dimensional. That notion falls apart almost right about the time 10 minutes is up! The characters come alive, the dialog zings, and the story just gets you into the vision that Wooding is going for. The creature, the mythos, and the style choice really makes this film a great add to any horror fans collection. Especially the shapeshifter, werewolf fan. I fell in love with the story based on the authentic approach to showing the Navajo system of belief without making it look or feel "hokey". Definitely check out "Blood Moon". The ending is not a big bang like you hope for when watching man vs beast films like this but it isn't really disappointing either.

This 2nd official trailer focuses on "Gwen," the film's dispassionate and pretentious mother with a dark, mysterious past. The multi-talented and indomitable Helene Donohue, an experienced actress and singer, plays "Gwen" in a supporting role.

"Lake Runs Red" is employing a unique trailer strategy for their marketing campaign. Instead of releasing a standard two minute trailer, the film is instead releasing five character trailers, each focusing on one of the main characters from the film. This is the 2nd official trailer in a series of five, the remaining three will be released over the balance of the Autumn months.

"There's quite a bit of mystery surrounding the "Gwen" character and her unusual behavior in our story," said director and co-writer Jason Riesgraf. He continued, "We needed an actress with a powerful and experienced presence to pull off this nuanced and pivotal role. Helene Donohue certainly delivered the required intensity in her performance. I'm incredibly pleased with how her scenes turned out."

Added Stephanie Riesgraf, producer and unit production manager, "The Gwen trailer was the #1 favorite (of the five trailers) as voted by our cast and crew. It definitely packs a punch. We're beyond thrilled to be launching this particular vignette."

Today, Red Ratio Entertainment also publicly announced a new release time frame for "Lake Runs Red." The film, currently in post-production, has been rescheduled to debut in 2016 to accommodate a higher volume of film festivals.

"Lake Runs Red" previously released their first official trailer, entitled "Bruce", on July 14th, 2015 to incredible fanfare. For more information please visit LakeRunsRed.com and connect with us on Twitter @LakeRunsRed.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Uncork'd
Entertainment and Jinga Films have announced the US and Canadian release of
Jeremy Wooding's Wild West werewolf mash up BLOOD MOON with a DVD and VOD
street date of September 1st 2015.

Shaun Dooley
(The Women In Black), George Blagden (Vikings), Anna Skellern (The Descent II)
and Corey Johnson (Captain Philips) star in BLOOD MOON, a werewolf
Western set in a remote mining town where a stagecoach full of passengers are
held hostage by two outlaws on the run from the law. But events take an
unexpected turn when the group fall prey to a mythical creature known to locals
as a skin walker. They must settle their differences and combine their strengths
if they re going survive the night of a blood red Moon.

BLOOD
MOON received its World premier at FrightFest and has since participated in
Dublin Horrorthon, Fantasporto, Brussels Fantastic Film Festival, Weekend of
Fear, Grossmann Fantastic Film Festival, Buchon Fantastic Film Festival and
Ravenna Nightmare where it received the Audience Award for Best Film.

Although set in
the US, BLOOD MOON was filmed on location in Kent, England where the
producers found a replica wild west town. BLOOD MOON is only the second
Western to be filmed in the UK, the first being CARRY ON COWBOY in
1966.

Check out the latest for "Deadpool" which is aiming to damage some ass with the official trailer release. This film just gets me more amp'd. "Deadpool" has chosen to forego the more kid friendly comic book film fan, instead hitting a more adult R-rated fan. Which really is one of the things that will make this film a success. The comic con trailer leak set the web on fire with excitement. "Deadpool" doesn't land till 2016. Are we there yet?

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life."Deadpool" is directed by Tim Miller and stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand. Hit up "Deadpool" on Facebook to keep up-to-date on the film.When you're stuck in a daythat's gray, and lonely...Just stick out your chin, and grin,and say...everything looks sexier in red.

SGL Entertainment has just inked a deal with Reyna Young and Last Doorway Productions for the Worldwide Distribution of FORGOTTEN TALES. Take a roller-coaster ride in terror as we follow these unlucky souls on their journey through this amazing anthology horror movie.

SYNOPSIS: Newly divorced Maggie (Connie Jo Sechrist) has a few unexpected guests in her new home scaring her to the bone or are they trying to tell her something? A babysitting job for Claire (Kelsey Zukowski) may not be such a good idea with a serial killer on the loose. Want to be an actress? Sounds good until you end up being the director’s obsession! Poor Shannon (Reyna Young) will have to learn that the hard way. Three bone chilling Tales in the vein of Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, Directed by Reyna Young (Welcome to My Darkside, Doll Murder Spree).

Forgotten Tales will be Available in the US and Canada on Blu-ray, DVD, Comcast Xfinity Cable TV and the Top VOD Sites like iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, M-GO and More in early 2016 via SGL Entertainment with their partners MVD Visual and Indie Rights Distribution. SGL Entertainment is headed up by Jeffrey A. Swanson and Damien Dante with Massimiliano Cerchi handling Foreign Distribution.

"Grim Reapers" is an indie horror directed by Cade Saint and starsAndrew Wilson Williams, Ryan Patrick Williams, Henry Friedman, Kelsey McDonald, Charlie Friedman. The film blends classic giallo styled aspects with some Tai West influenced storytelling. "Grim Reaper" hinges more on psychological horror with heavy atmosphere and suspense, but stays very tame when it comes to exploiting the available concepts of the horror genre.Synopsis:While Jay, a young teenager, searches for his missing father at a remote house in the woods. Something dark and sinister begins to stalk and terrorize he and his friends. Saint's movie is a slow-burn psychological character driven drama with simple, direct dialog, spooky atmospheric scenes framed obscurely or artistically that really plays up the more emotional, anticipation effect. "Grim Reapers" deals with a tragedy that leaves family members grappling at reasons for why it happened? It is a darker story, and there is no real "white light" outcome for those searching for resolution, or understanding to the tragedy. There is only more tragedy told in semi-tense flare reminiscent of directors like Derek Cole and Jordan Pacheco. The cinematography and blend of classic obscure angles, and claustrophobic close up shots are amazingly well handled for a first time feature director working on a indie film with a budget this low, The direction that Cade Saint has taken is an even-paced, practical style that-in the dramatic, reminds me of giallo with the concentrated focus on the character development/emotional side of story telling. The splash of bright colors off-setting darker shadowy scenes, the instrumental music score that accompanies the moments all are reminiscent of that classic psychological thriller style. Then the casual, short dialog scenes mixed with the shaky camera "wordless" action scenes that move the story along have a more modern, "retro-visioned" effect to the movie that gives me a Tai West feel. The down side is that the plot is not layered, or all that deep, and we never really know why it is happening, or how it came to be that this is the fate of these characters. Which is often the case in life. Sometimes things just happen-freaky, nightmarish, paranormal things that have no reason. The special effects are mostly "scare tactics" meant to give sudden shock response from the viewer, with some creepy, background shadowy effects and the build up of suspense providing most of the chilling nature that brings in the horror aspects to "Grim Reapers". For the most part this is a very drama, psychological driven movie, with the only real "horror" moments happening in the final scenes of the film. It is a bit frustrating, you wait for quite awhile for anything that most horror fan's deem "horror" to actually take place, and Saint mildly tiptoes around those scenes instead of giving us full on gratuity of gore. If I had to choose a label for "Grim Reapers" I would label it "horror light". Now honestly if I went into this film as just a horror fan wanting to see some carnage, this film would disappoint me big time. However I love the art of cinema so there is so much more that sparks value in me when watching horror or sci-fi movies than just the kills, and gore. Overall "Grim Reaper" will not fit with what is traditionally known as "horror genre" fans. There isn't enough scares or gore to delight hardcore horror fans here, but considering the emotional, above par production level, atmospheric cinematography, and quality sound of "Grim Reaper" I am pretty impressed with Cade Saint's directorial debut. I don't consider it to be straight up horror, more of psychological thriller that ends on a very horrific note. Watch with patience.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Shawn Chou directed "Renunion" is a modern day nightmare about an ultimate mother from hell. It is a psychological horror both atmospheric and dramatic. "Reunion" stars Maria Olsen, Jack Turner, Cara Santana, Sarah Schreiber, Reign Morton, Ruth Reynolds, Christopher Wolfe, Lucas Barker, William Leon, Arrielle Brachfeld, Leif Gantvoort and Matthew Jaeger. The logline reads: "An unstable mental patient goes on an overnight
rampage to terrorize an ex-rock star and his friends, only to discover she is
linked to him in mysterious ways."

Synopsis: Mia is a mental patient haunted by a disembodied voice who claims to know how to find her missing son. She escapes from the psych ward where she resides, assuming that her child is being held captive at a house occupied by an ex-rock star, Brad, and his friends. Convinced that Brad is her estranged husband responsible for abducting her son, Mia imprisons him and his friends in the house, forcing them into an inescapable nightmare filled with horrifying consequences. As the night progresses and the body count rises, Brad and Mia unearth a dark connection between them that will alter their lives forever."Reunion" is tense, suspenseful horror story that digs up personal emotion, cradled in nightmares of a darker past that when revealed rips at the heart of domestic, and familial fears. Cryptic I know! Lets just say that Bert Havird fuses classic slasher concepts with more psychological thriller aspects that are build on shattered family and a lost past. When it unfolds to reveal that relationships of these tragic characters, the story goes dark, and full speed into intense thriller mode. Elements of the story reminded me of Jonathan Darby's writing on "Hush" , and at moments there is a mash-up of emotion and energy that made me think of "Hand The Rocks The Cradle" writer Amanda Silver. Except this is a more contemporary nightmare closer to slasher cinema than your basic psychological thriller. The special effects are a blend of gory, bloody slice'n'dice practical effects, and surreal like atmosphere with a very visceral component that really gets in good with the gruesome nature of the story and the fate of these characters. The soundtrack is mix of macabre sound effects and indie music that give "Reunion" a nice balance between the dramatic scenes, and the more gruesome ones. It is very complementary to the overall attitude, and almost romantic vision of terror that Chou offers up. Romantic not in the style of story but in the love that is apparent between Chou, Havird, and the cast chosen style of telling this very intense, organic nightmare. Overall I think "Reunion" is a great indie horror with heart, depth, and intensity. It isn't full on slasher, gorefest but considering the last half of the story and the touching, emotional past of the mother and son's lives, it is very compelling to say the least. Check it out!